Napolitano Credits State Laws for Growth in E-Verify

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano credited the states for the growth of E-Verify. Napolitano testified before the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and said that mandatory E-Verify laws in the states has contributed to the system’s rapid growth in past years.

In prior statements, Napolitano has favored E-Verify, and while governor of Arizona, E-Verify was made mandatory for all employers in the state.

E-Verify is an essential tool for employers to maintain a legal workforce. E-Verify has grown rapidly over the past several years – not only making it a cornerstone of workplace enforcement across the country, but also testifying to its improvement. More than 122,000 U.S. employers representing over 468,000 hiring locations are enrolled in E-Verify. The growth is continuing at a solid clip, due in large part to state laws requiring the use of E-Verify.

Napolitano said that more than 1,000 employers register for E-Verify each week and 14 percent of all non-agricultural new hires were screened through the system in 2008. A recent report says that E-Verify offers immediate work authorization for 96.1 percent of new hires entered.

We are continually working to ensure that E-Verify is non-burdensome to employers. The system rates higher than average on the American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey, scoring an 83 out of a possible 100 points on a recent survey, above the latest Federal Government satisfaction index of 69 percent.

Napolitano also mentioned yesterday that DHS seeks to expand the 287(g) program. She believes there are some abuses of the program, but overall it’s been successful helping to identify 104,000 illegal aliens.

This program continues to be an effective force multiplier for our efforts. For this reason, it is vitally important that the program has strong oversight and remains free of abuse. In the past few years, the 287(g) program has been the subject of much media attention and heightened scrutiny. To address many of the concerns, ICE is redrafting the MOA template to increase oversight and supervision as well as align the goals of state and local law enforcement participating in the program with ICE priorities and guidelines. In addition to the MOA, ICE has issued credentials to state and local 287(g) partners and is drafting a policy mandating refresher training for all active 287(g) officers. In these efforts, DHS is carefully reviewing the recommendations provided in the January 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office. Finally, we are committed to working with stakeholders to address concerns about racial and ethnic profiling and other abuses in this and other enforcement programs.

Read all of Sec. Napolitano’s comments at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s website.